Tunis Afrique Press reported today, Saturday, that "a Tunisian judge issued a decision prohibiting audio-visual media from covering two cases involving prominent opposition figures accused of conspiring against state security in recent months." The official spokesperson for the Judicial Anti-Terrorism Pole, Hanan Qaddas, told Tunis Afrique Press, "The investigating judge in the first chamber of the Anti-Terrorism Pole issued a decision prohibiting media circulation regarding the two cases of conspiracy against state security under investigation."
The agency quoted Qaddas as saying that the decision only involves "audio-visual media, not all," aiming to maintain the confidentiality of the cases and protect the personal data of the individuals involved.
Tunisian judges have ordered the detention or opened investigations involving more than 20 political, judicial, media, and commercial figures linked to the opposition in recent months, accusing some of them of conspiring against state security. Major opposition parties condemned the arrest of these figures, describing the actions as politically motivated, while human rights groups called on Tunisian authorities to release the detainees. The ministries of the interior and justice have yet to comment on the cases of detention.
